Total Non-Stop Action presents Impact
Date: 6/5/2008
From: Orlando, FL
Matches:
1.) Christian Cage & Rhino defeated Booker T & Robert Roode by disqualification
2.) ODB defeated Velvet Sky in a street fight
3.) Kaz defeated Chris Sabin, Curry Man, Jimmy Rave and Johnny Devine in a King of the Mountain match
4.) TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong defeated Daffney
5.) Homicide, Hernandez & Matt Morgan defeated James Storm, Kip James & Lance Hoyt
6.) AJ Styles defeated Tomko
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Roode and Rhino kickoff the tag match. Rhino controls Roode with a wrist lock and shoulder blocks Roode. Roode tries for a hip toss, but Rhino decks Roode with a clothesline. Cage tags into the match and chops Roode against the ropes. Cage nails Roode with a spinning heel kick for a two count. Roode knee lifts Cage followed by a strike to the back. Cage chops Booker in the corner followed by a boot in the corner and uppercuts Booker from the middle rope for a near fall. Booker fights back with strikes, but Cage fights out of the corner. Booker nails Cage with a leaping sidekick and pummels Cage on the mat with strikes. Roode tags into the match and kicks Cage in the ribs. Roode chokes Cage on the mat, but Cage fights back with right hands and chops. Roode eye rakes Cage before tagging in Booker. Cage is taken over by a double suplex. Booker heel kicks Cage to the mat for a near fall. Roode returns to the match and stomps Cage on the mat. Cage elbows Roode in the corner and sits on the top turnbuckle, but is shoved off as Roode avoids a tornado DDT. Cage plants Roode with a reverse DDT and both men are down.
Cage crawls to the corner and tags in Rhino as Booker is tagged into the match. Rhino hammers away on Booker followed by a leaping clothesline. Rhino shoulder rams Booker in the corner, but is stopped by a knee lift. Rhino plants Booker with a spinebuster for a near fall. Roode hooks Cage for a suplex to the floor, but Cage kicks Roode off to the floor. Cage hits a slingshot crossbody to the floor. Rhino chops Booker against the ropes. Booker knee lifts Rhino, but misses a scissors kick. Rhino GORES Booker, but Team 3D slide into the ring and attack Rhino to cause the disqualification. (*. It figures as soon as the action gets going they do the DQ finish. Rhino kind of gets a creditability rise because as a fan I’m expecting him to pin Booker there. I do feel a bit insulted that Roode and Booker teamed here without any issue considering Roode broke Sharmell’s jaw just a few months ago and they had a heated rivalry. I would have liked that to be at least addressed in some capacity.) After the match, Team 3D continue to attack Cage and Rhino. Devon slides a table into the ring. AJ Styles runs into the ring and makes the save. Styles double clotheslines Team 3D and the faces get the advantage.
2.) AJ Styles gets on the microphone saying that they’re not even in regards to Rhino and Cage. Styles hopes they can soon be on the same page. Styles turns his attention to Kurt Angle and tells the other three guys to rely the message. Styles is going to beat the piss out of Angle at Slammiversary and he’s going to hurt Angle. Styles says he’s going to take care of Angle’s “butt buddy” Tomko later tonight, too. Jim Cornette chimes in and talks about Styles getting back up after being knocked down. Cornette reveals that Kevin Nash will be the special enforcer for the match between Styles and Tomko.
3.) Earlier today, Jeremy Borash caught up with TNA World Champion Samoa Joe in the empty studio as Joe is training for his title defense at Slammiversary. Borash brings up Nash being named the special enforcer. Borash asks if Joe trusts Nash for the match this Sunday. Joe tells Borash that he’s a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. Joe says Nash taught him one thing and that is respect who you have to, but respect nobody. Joe trusts himself and does what he can in the ring to the best of his ability. Joe is going to ask Nash face to face what his intentions are. Depending on Nash’s answer will determine where they stand.
4.) Backstage, Lauren interviews the Beautiful People. Velvet Sky asks where Lauren’s paper bag from last week is at. Sky grabs the microphone and gives Lauren their trading card to hold in front of her face. Sky says everyone hates them because they are better than everyone else. Sky claims the pimples on her ass are more entertaining than the marks that show up every week to see them. Angelina Love can’t believe Sky is in a street fight with ODB tonight. Love says Sky isn’t going to break a nail or sweat against ODB. Love tells ODB to bring her friends Gail Kim and Roxxi with her. Love says they may be beautiful but they will fight ugly. TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong and Saeed enter the scene to promote another match with a fan in the crowd for $25k.
5.) Sky gets in ODB’s face and is met with a strike. ODB pummels Sky on the mat with right hands. Sky bails to the floor to regroup. ODB chases, but Love grabs ODB. ODB tosses Love onto the ramp and sends Sky over the railing into the crowd. ODB chops Love against the wall, but misses a splash. Sky delivers strikes in the crowd, but that advantage doesn’t last long. Sky eye rakes ODB, but a knee lift stops her. ODB tosses a drink onto Sky. Sky delivers a few strikes to the back. ODB tosses Sky over the railing back towards the ringside area. Sky throws a drink onto ODB, but ODB hits Sky with a fans sign. Love stops ODB on the apron, but is kicked away. Sky knocks ODB off the apron allowing Love to stomp ODB on the floor. Sky tries for a cover, but ODB kicks out at two. Sky puts an octopus submission on ODB, but fails to get a submission. ODB tosses Sky into the corner and continues with strikes. ODB rams Sky into the corner and plays to the crowd. ODB grabs Sky hitting a fallaway slam. Love grabs ODB on the apron, but ODB dropkicks Sky into Love. ODB plants Sky with a running powerslam for the win. (1/2*. A rather tame street fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if ODB is the one to beat Kong at some point.) After the match, Love gets in the ring and plants ODB with a flatliner. Roxxi runs down to the ring to make the save decking Love and Sky with strikes. Gail Kim comes down to the ring and helps Roxxi. Mickie Knuckles runs down to the ring and spikes Kim with a double arm DDT. Commentary don’t have a name for Knuckles. Kim gets the paper bag treatment.
6.) Last night, Jay Lethal had his bachelor party and footage is shown from it. Sonjay Dutt tells Lethal he’s got something important to say, but he’ll tell Lethal at Slammiversary. James Storm got drunk. BG James tells Lethal he’s going to have to learn to keep his mouth shut and take orders.
7.) Eric Young is still in Memphis and continues to look for Elvis at Graceland. Young feels like he’s close.
8.) Mike Tenay’s third installment with Sting is shown where Sting talks about Ric Flair and how important Flair was to Sting’s career. Sting credits Flair with putting him on the map. Tenay notes the retirement of Flair and Sting doesn’t know anyone who has given as much as Flair has to pro wrestling. Sting sometimes thinks if its his time with Brett Favre and Ric Flair both retiring in 2008.
9.) The winner of the X-Division King of the Mountain match will get a TNA World Championship match next week on Impact.
10.) All five men brawl in the ring to kickoff the match. Sabin and Curry splash Rave in the corner. Sabin tries for a rollup on Curry for a near fall. Devine tries to dropkick Kaz, but misses and Kaz kicks Devine on the mat. Kaz catapults Devine over the top to the floor. Kaz strikes Rave on the apron, but Rave delivers a slam onto the apron. Sabin hits a suicide dive on Rave. Devine moonsaults off the penalty box onto Kaz and Sabin! Impact goes to commercial.
Rave has a ladder and rams it into another ladder into Kaz in the corner. During the break, Rave pinned Curry with the Rock The World neckbreaker and is the first man eligible to hang the X. Rave climbs the ladder, but Sabin springboard dropkicks Rave off the ladder. Sabin gets a quick rollup on Rave to get a three count. Sabin is eligible to climb the ladder as well. Kaz tosses a ladder into Sabin and Sabin falls off the ladder into the ropes. Sabin decks Kaz with the X. Sabin and Kaz setup ladders in the middle of the ring. Kaz knocks the X out of Sabin’s hands and they drop the mat where Sabin strikes Kaz a few times. Kaz hits the Wave of the Future into the ladders. Curry monkey flips Kaz out of the corner into the ladders. Devine spikes Curry with a DDT and dumps Kaz to the apron. Devine lays a ladder over the middle rope. Devine grabs Curry and delivers a suplex onto the ladder. Rave returns to the match and strikes Kaz on the apron. Sabin rams Devine into the corner with a ladder to the midsection. Sabin puts Devine in the tree of woe and dropkicks the ladder into Devine’s face as the show goes to commercial.
Devine, Curry and Rave crash to the mat following a tower suplex. Sabin and Kaz are on top of the penalty box trading strikes. Sabin tries to get Kaz onto his shoulders, but Kaz elbows free. Kaz tries for a move off the top, but Sabin elbows free to avoid it. Sabin leaps off to hit Curry with a crossbody. Kaz stomps the ladder into Devine’s face. Kaz splashes Rave with the ladder. Kaz goes for the cover and pins Rave to become eligible. Devine gets a rollup on Kaz and manages a three count to become eligible. Devine climbs the crooked ladder and tries to hang the X. Sabin grabs Devine by the boot and is kicked away. Devine leaps off to elbow Sabin and sends Sabin into the ladder face first. Devine dropkicks Sabin on the side of the head. Devine begins to climb the ladder, but Curry stops Devine hitting the Spice Rack (Burning Hammer) to get a pin and is now eligible. Everyone is eligible at this point.
Curry sends Sabin to the floor after a suplex. Curry begins to climb the ladder, but Kaz gets out of the penalty box just in time and punches Curry off the ladder. Kaz grabs the X and hangs the X up to win the match. Kaz will get a title shot against the TNA World Champion next week. (***. It’s a good match for TV, but there wasn’t much to this in terms of anything crazy spot wise. Kaz winning is not a major surprise, and he very well could be the X-Division Champion at Slammiversary setting up a potential champion vs. champion situation for next week Impact.)
11.) A video package of all the men involved in the King of the Mountain match sharing their memories and thoughts on the match history.
12.) Jeremy Borash is in the ring with TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong and Saeed. Borash says they have an open challenge for any fan in the audience tonight. The camera cuts to a few different females, who are clearly wrestlers. In fact, one of them is Daffney of WCW fame. Another one is Becky Bayless, and Amber O’Neal. O’Neal introduces herself as does Bayless. Daffney says she’s been wrestling all over the world and knows she has what it takes to beat Kong. Kong chooses Daffney. Daffney signs a waiver after putting a mouthguard in to prepare of the match.
13.) Kong grabs Daffney and tosses her to the mat to kickoff the title match. Daffney delivers a few clubbing blows, but Kong responds with several strikes in the corner. Kong puts Daffney on her shoulders locking in a reverse torture rack before tossing Daffney to the mat. Kong slams Daffney’s head into the guard railing by swinging her legs. Kong rolls Daffney into the ring to continue the match. Kong runs through Daffney and taunts the fans. Kong hits the Awesome Bomb to win the match. (*. It’s cool to see Daffney competing on TV. Seeing old WCW wrestlers make surprise appearances such as this is fine with me.)
14.) A video package promoting Abyss and his freedom that takes place in three days. Abyss promises that he’s not insane and continues to repeat “three more days.” He will not rest until it sleeps.
15.) Backstage, Lauren interviews Kevin Nash regarding Nash being an enforcer tonight and at the PPV. Nash says he has a game plan when TNA World Champion Samoa Joe enters the scene demanding to know what Nash is up to. Joe asks if Nash has his back. Nash tells Joe to lower his voice, but admits he wouldn’t want to fight himself either. Nash needs to protect his investment. Joe asks how does he pay off Nash as his investment. Nash has done everything that is right for Joe’s career for the past several weeks and months. Nash tells Joe that paranoia will cost Joe the title. Nash gives Joe the baseball bat to hit him and turns around. Joe doesn’t use the bat and says when he comes for Nash he wouldn’t need Nash to turnaround nor need a baseball bat.
16.) Back to Jay Lethal’s bachelor party where Sonjay Dutt has a major announcement. Dutt has a telegram for the groomsmen at Slammiversary. Dutt reveals that Koko B. Ware will be there and George ‘the Animal’ Steele. The final one will be Kamala. Kip James comes out as the stripper, but the crowd boos this development. Shark Boy barfs into a plant nearby.
17.) Storm and Homicide kickoff the six man tag match. Storm shoulder blocks Homicide, but Homicide arm drags Storm followed by an overhead suplex. Homicide takes Storm over with suplexs and Hernandez hits an over the shoulder backbreaker, but Kip breaks the cover. Hernandez holds Storm for Homicide to enter and knee lifts Storm over the back. Homicide elbows Storm to the mat, but is grabbed by Jacqueline. Storm decks Homicide to the floor. Jacqueline knee lifts Homicide on the floor several times and shoves Salinas on the outside. Storm kicks Homicide followed by a backstabber for a two count. Storm backs Homicide into a corner and strikes Homicide on the top rope. Storm avoids a tornado DDT and spikes Homicide with a swinging slam. Hoyt tags in and gets a two count on Homicide. Hoyt tosses Homicide with a fallaway slam. Kip tags into the bout and knee strikes Homicide over the back before locking in a sleeper. Kip elbows Homicide to the mat and taunts the crowd. Storm tags back into the match and strikes Homicide. Homicide ducks a clothesline and they collide on clothesline attempts. Kip and Morgan get the tags with Morgan cleaning house with a big boot and clotheslines. Morgan clotheslines Kip in the corner and side slams Storm. Morgan walks the ropes before coming down onto Kip’s arm. Hoyt climbs to the top and moonsaults Morgan. Hernandez plants Hoyt with a spinebuster followed by a splash in the corner. Storm splashes Kip in the corner and is tossed by Hernandez across the ring. Homicide and Hernandez hit stereo dives to the floor onto Hoyt and Storm. Kip boots Morgan charging the corner. Morgan kicks Kip and delivers the F5 for the win. (*1/2. A filler of a match. The action wasn’t bad as it was just mindless action for a few minutes. Morgan must get a push because he’s Cornette’s boy.)
18.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with TNA X-Division Champion Petey Williams, Scott Steiner and Rhaka Khan. Steiner asks who Kaz is and who Kaz ever beaten in TNA. Steiner asks again who Kaz has beaten. Borash reminds Steiner that Kaz won the Terror Dome cage match. Steiner doesn’t even know what that match is. Steiner knows Kaz is popular, but he’ll win the popularity contest. Williams begins to cut a promo, but they are out of time and the show goes to commercial.
19.) Point/counter point between Kurt Angle and Karen Angle is up next. They are joining the show via satellite. Kurt is on set at his newest Hollywood project while Karen is in Pittsburgh. Kurt is there to set the record straight and claims to be the victim. Kurt has given Karen everything she’s ever wanted including two children, but he’s never been appreciated. Karen says Kurt still doesn’t understand. Karen is grateful for the life that Kurt has given her and their children. Karen wanted time with Kurt the most and Kurt to love her. Kurt loves Karen, but loves his career, too. Karen says that Kurt loves his career more than he loves their family. Kurt wonders what is wrong with that. Karen says there’s nothing left to explain. Kurt says Karen can’t explain why Karen’s been cheating with AJ Styles. Tenay asks if Kurt has any proof, but Kurt tells Tenay to shut up and thinks Tenay slept with Karen too. Kurt is livid and tells Karen all she needed to do was come clean and tell the truth. Kurt promises that he’s going to break every bone in AJ’s body until the proof comes out.
20.) Backstage, Jeremy Borash is with AJ Styles where Styles says he could tell Kurt a thousand times he’s never been with Karen. Borash tells Styles that nobody believes that. Styles says he’s done explaining himself to Kurt. Styles has suffered pain for things he’s never done. Styles declares that Kurt will not get back up at Slammiversary.
21.) Back to Jay Lethal’s bachelor party footage. Ace Young introduces a cake that was made by Sonjay Dutt’s parents. Christy Hemme bursts out of the cake and is booed. Hemme, Hoyt and Rave proceed to sing, but they cutaway from it. ODB brings out a gift for Lethal and it’s a snake, which is a callback to SummerSlam ’91. Dutt reveals that Jake Roberts will be at the PPV this Sunday, too.
22.) Styles dives over the ropes to take Tomko out to start the match. Styles hammers away on Tomko at ringside. Styles kicks Tomko over the back and rolls Tomko into the ring. Tomko tries for a slam, but Styles breaks free and punches Tomko several times. Styles chokes Tomko over the bottom rope. Styles kicks Tomko on the mat and catapults Tomko into the bottom rope. Styles knee lifts Tomko to the mat. Tomko shoves Styles away, but Styles pummels Tomko in the corner. Tomko backdrops Styles over the top to the floor as the show goes to commercial.
Tomko stops Styles with a big boot, but Styles comes back with a dropkick. During the break, Tomko delivered a shoulder breaker and dropped Styles arm first over the top rope. Nash got involved to stop Tomko from pulling the arm. Styles clotheslines and forearms Tomko to the mat. Styles attempts the Styles Clash, but Robert Roode comes out. Nash brawls with Roode while Tomko plants Styles witha. spinebuster. Booker T tries to get involved, but Nash stops Booker. Styles delivers a DDT and a Pele kick. Styles leaps off the top to frog splash Tomko for the win. (*. There wasn’t much to this match and it seemed to be more of the point of getting Nash over as an enforcer for the PPV. I’m just glad that Styles isn’t a joke anymore.)
23.) Booker T gets in the ring and jabs Kevin Nash with a chair shot. Tomko and Booker beat down Nash and Styles. Christian Cage, Rhino and Robert Roode get in the ring to brawl. Team 3D and LAX also enter the ring to add to the brawling. TNA World Champion Samoa Joe storms the ring and tosses Roode over the top to the floor. Joe jabs Booker T several times. Nash attempts to hit Booker with a chair shot, but misses Booker and whacks Joe on the left arm. Joe is livid as the show goes off the air.
Final Thoughts:
At one point in-ring wrestling was a strong point for Impact, but they have shifted a lot more to angles and not quality in-ring action. KOTM was a decent match, but not an incredible showcase that they may have desired. Kurt/Karen/Styles storyline is 100% soap opera and has been a bit entertaining and I’m sure they will have a fantastic PPV match. I’m thinking that we’re going to get a Joe/Nash PPV match at some point. They are obviously setting up a singles feud between Booker and Joe, as well. So, Joe or Booker have to be the favorites to win the KOTM at the PPV.
Thanks for reading.